Two men burglarized a church in Port Sulphur the day after Easter and spent the loot on drugs and alcohol, the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office said.

The burglary happened about 5 p.m. at the St. Patrick's Catholic Church at 28668 Highway 23.

Advertisement

The Sheriff's Office said that Anthony Roberts, 52, and Michael Gaines Sr., 60, drove to the church, where Roberts was dropped off nearby. Roberts then walked nearly a 1/4 mile to the church while Gaines waited for him in a getaway car, officials said.

"Roberts entered the church rectory’s office through an unlocked door and stole a gallon glass jar filled with approximately $300 in U.S. coins," investigators said in a news release. "As Roberts fled from the location in a hurry, the door slammed shut, which alerted the priest that someone had entered the rectory."

Roberts was seen walking across an empty field in the direction of the getaway vehicle, and it was later discovered that the jar had been stolen, authorities said.

Roberts returned to the vehicle, and the duo drove off. Within a two-day period, the two spent the loot on illegal drugs and alcohol, the Sheriff's Office said.

Both men were located after detectives found the two had visited several businesses, converting the coins into cash.

The two were arrested on charges of burglary of a religious building.

According to the Sheriff's Office, this incident wasn't the first time Roberts burglarized St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

Roberts was arrested in September 2011 after he broke a window and stole $5 in cash.

"He was convicted on March 23, 2012, of burglary of a religious building and sentenced to five years at hard labor in the Louisiana Department of Corrections, which was suspended and placed on five years of probation," authorities said. "He completed a drug court program on August 14, 2014, and his probation was terminated early."

Roberts’ criminal history includes convictions in Plaquemines Parish for burglaries in 1998, 2000 and 2011, and a 2007 schedule II drug conviction, the Sheriff's Office said.